Beheaded by ISIS

rr165892 said:

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hedonist said:

badbrains said:

rr165892 said:

Saw that this morningTotally horrible.

BB,to your point about the west view of Muslims and the pre conceptions we harbour.I was watching last weeks Anthony Bourdain from Iran.I was really taken back.I had a vision in my head formed from the hostage crisis and the ayatollah and movies.But watching the hospitality and grace which citizens welcomed him into their homes for meals and friendship and the smiles not hate a westerner was met with really gave me encouragement about what is possible.I know it makes you think about blanket statements like "we should just bomb the fuckers" and the like.It puts a human and positive face on differences between Muslim and western cultures.worth a watch on CNN.

Saw that as well RR. I actually hit up hedonist and reminded to watch. Bourdain is awesome bro, he doesn't give a shit about what people think about his views. He went to Lebanon/Palestine/Israel couple years back and all hell broke loose. Anyways ya man, I get the same when I travel around the world and I've been to the Middle East. People love to meet other people. They're humans just like us, can separate politics with just friendships. Like RGambs said in his post, they're just like us. And they are. Good shit guys, glad u guys watched it.

Love Bourdain and his attitude! I watched that episode in full this past weekend. Brought back some nice memories of the summer I spent in Tehran, mid-70s. In terms of the people and their warmth and welcoming nature, not much has changed since then.

And the food! Even my meat-and-potatoes husband has come around; my mom couldn't be happier.

And may I say, you're once of the best Muslims...errr, people...I know

Hedo,alot of that food looked really good.I was in the munchie zone when watching which was dangerous.I may need to find a Some Iranian/Persian take out if such a thing exists outside NY.

Adding to my last post... There's a Persian restaurant here in Toronto called Takhte Tavoos that do Persian brunch... been dying to go for ages. http://pomegranaterestaurant.ca/tavoos/menu.html

hedonist said:

Two words: cherry rice.

I love that it's made its way to Toronto! (though I'm unfamiliar with some of the items on that menu, benjs). I think NY and LA are considered "Iran-towns" in this country, given the healthy population on both coasts.

And, I also love how food - no matter the culture, country or origin - is one of the greatest threads that ties us together.

Food and music... great unifiers, no question about it. Interestingly enough, they're also the two art forms I consider the most 'open' to sharing ideas from regions and cultures - look at our fascination with trying regional flavours (case and point - the existence and popularity of what's been labelled "fusion" cuisine), or the way we borrow musical scales from different parts of the world and integrate them into our songs (The Police and Jeff Buckley are both great examples).

I still remember being in Malaysia, you could go to any restaurant and it was such a beautiful thing to look around and see such an incredible level of diversity. And, go figure, almost everyone's happy when they're eating great food.

benjs said:

show previous quotes

hedonist said:

Two words: cherry rice.

I love that it's made its way to Toronto! (though I'm unfamiliar with some of the items on that menu, benjs). I think NY and LA are considered "Iran-towns" in this country, given the healthy population on both coasts.

And, I also love how food - no matter the culture, country or origin - is one of the greatest threads that ties us together.

Food and music... great unifiers, no question about it. Interestingly enough, they're also the two art forms I consider the most 'open' to sharing ideas from regions and cultures - look at our fascination with trying regional flavours (case and point - the existence and popularity of what's been labelled "fusion" cuisine), or the way we borrow musical scales from different parts of the world and integrate them into our songs (The Police and Jeff Buckley are both great examples).

I still remember being in Malaysia, you could go to any restaurant and it was such a beautiful thing to look around and see such an incredible level of diversity. And, go figure, almost everyone's happy when they're eating great food.

Have you been to sukhothaifood.ca/ in Toronto? 'great food'!

benjs said:

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Idris said:

benjs said:

hedonist said:

Two words: cherry rice.

I love that it's made its way to Toronto! (though I'm unfamiliar with some of the items on that menu, benjs). I think NY and LA are considered "Iran-towns" in this country, given the healthy population on both coasts.

And, I also love how food - no matter the culture, country or origin - is one of the greatest threads that ties us together.

Food and music... great unifiers, no question about it. Interestingly enough, they're also the two art forms I consider the most 'open' to sharing ideas from regions and cultures - look at our fascination with trying regional flavours (case and point - the existence and popularity of what's been labelled "fusion" cuisine), or the way we borrow musical scales from different parts of the world and integrate them into our songs (The Police and Jeff Buckley are both great examples).

I still remember being in Malaysia, you could go to any restaurant and it was such a beautiful thing to look around and see such an incredible level of diversity. And, go figure, almost everyone's happy when they're eating great food.

Have you been to sukhothaifood.ca/ in Toronto? 'great food'!

Sukhothai is conveniently located about six blocks from where I work, freaking love it. Northern Thai food, as influenced by the Burmese (things like Khao Soi) are some of the most delicious dishes I've ever eaten. Sukhothai comes pretty damn close to the real thing, too!

As for Malaysian flavours, I haven't found a great Malay restaurant here yet, but for Singaporean - Hawker Bar at Dundas and Ossington (http://hawkerbar.com) is also fantastic.

'Hawker Bar', Cool...I've added them to my list of places to check out.

I've been (a couple of times) to a fairly decent Malaysian restaurant in Thornhill/Richmond Hill, ahhh but the name escapes me at the moment!

For Shawarma/Middle eastern I like Milos Pita (Yonge-Dundas Square) or Paramount Fine Foods. http://www.paramountfinefoods.com/home

For Indian/Pakistani http://www.lahoretikkahouse.com/

someone asked where are the Muslim voices?

http://www.arabianbusiness.com/extremist-minority-have-hijacked-arabs-identity-says-queen-rania-572232.html

Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan said it was time to reclaim the identity of the Arab world from a minority of extremists who have filled screens with images of violence and destruction.

“These images don't represent me anymore than they represent you,” said Queen Rania, in her speech to open this year’s Abu Dhabi Media Summit 2014

“They're alien and abhorrent to the vast majority of Arabs - Muslims and Christians. And they should make every Arab across this region seethe. Because they're an attack on our values as a people. And on our collective story,” she added.

Queen Rania said it was time that the Arab world reclaimed its narrative from “a minority of irreligious extremists is using social media to rewrite our narrative... hijack our identity and rebrand us.”

However, she said that the moderate majority of Arabs must not stand by and remain silent.

“They say, a story is told as much by silence as by speech. Well, our silence speaks volumes. We are complicit in their success,” said Queen Rania.

The fight against extremists, she said, goes well beyond that battleground, and is now a fight between moderates and extremists all over the world.

“It's a fight for the future of Islam and the future of the Arab world. So, it's a fight that moderates have to win.

“Winning also depends on our ability to conquer the philosophical battleground as well. Because at the heart of this assault is an ideology,” she said.

Queen Rania questioned the increase in the number of followers and fans of radical groups in the region.

She explained that these followers are “from classrooms in which they were never challenged to think for themselves, and where they learned an outdated curriculum. From societies in which a quarter of their peers is unemployed, where there's inadequate social security to afford a life of dignity, and where opportunities to help to change the status quo are few and far between.”

Queen Rania presented the contrasting options that are facing the future of the region.

“We either develop our region, or we let others dismantle it. Find solutions to the challenges, or watch the challenges avalanche. Harness the tools to drive the Arab world forward in the 21st century, or let others use those tools to drag us back to the dark ages,” she said.

Investing in education should be a priority, she said, and it should be a long-term commitment to provide quality education for all – girls and boys.

“Because educated girls strengthen their nations’ economies, they prioritise the health and education of their own children and they help to build stable societies more resilient to radicalisation,” she said.

mickeyrat, that woman is a real hero. To speak up like that should be admired regardless of your status in society, but to do so from her position of power is even more remarkable.

Now that is one badass queen.

Badass and beyond beautiful. Have always loved the band, but Mercury...oh, Mercury!